No Smith, no Head, Usman Khawaja backs this player to be his opening partner

Usman Khawaja. Pic/AFP

Australia opening batsman Usman Khawaja said Sam Konstas should continue to open alongside him ahead of the two Test matches against Sri Lanka. Khawaja also agreed with Ricky Ponting's view of the youngster's place at the top of the order.

Sam Konstas scored 113 runs in his first two Test matches against India with an average of 28.25.

But with the rumours surrounding the Australia think tank considering Travis Head to open the innings, Usman Khawaja backed Sam Konstas to be his batting partner.

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"I'm very conservative in that nature - I'm a bit the same (as Ponting), you've got two openers so open with them. I've always been that nature because I've been on so many subcontinent tours and been shuffled or dropped, and I don't necessarily agree with that. You've got your best team, so stick with it. Let them learn in all different conditions and then whatever happens from there, is there," said Khawaja to reporters in Colombo on Sunday. With youngsters like Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Cooper Connolly in the Test team, it also signals that Australia are starting the transition period.

"You've got to be yourself. 19 is young - I could not even imagine myself being thrust into the Australian team at that age." "It's a steep learning curve, so he's going to have some steep learning curves throughout his career. He's going to learn a lot about his game and himself, go through ups and downs. The beauty of Sam is he's very easy to talk to, (and) very receptive to feedback, which is a great trait to have." "The younger generation have this air of confidence about them these days - Sam, Nath, Cooper, even - they're really receptive, [and] eager to learn. You be yourself, but they're also able to quieten down and listen when the time is right," added Khawaja.

Speaking about how long his Test career, Usman Khawaja stated that he wants to keep playing as long as he can.

"Over the next three to four years, there's going to be a lot of transition going on. I'm quite attuned to that and I still want to play and I want to keep playing for as long as I can." "But I also know there might be a right time to slip out. If I'm still playing and the selectors are like, 'We feel like the time's come', it's, 'You let me know and I can slide out'. There's definitely those thoughts (bowing out in Sydney) in my head, I'm not afraid to talk about that. I'm human." "I'd still like to play the Ashes at a bare minimum. I try not to think too far ahead, that's as far ahead as I'll think. As long as we're winning, I'm still contributing, my body's still feeling good, I'll play. For me it always feels more like one summer at a time (rather than retiring after the Ashes)."

(With IANS Inputs)